Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c11.33

c11.33

The sacrifices to the dead (śrāddha) are a special development out the sacrifices proper and there is a whole literature devoted to it which extends from the Vedic Saṃhitās down to the Dharmanibandhas; of the latter the edition of Hemādri's Śrāddhakalpa in the Bib. Ind. covers 1717 pages. Already the Smṛtis discuss the Śrāddhas very exhaustively; thus Vi. in 14 chapters (73-86) deals with the ceremonies on the occasion of a Śrāddha, as well as the predecessors to be worshipped by it, the proper time, the effects of the Śrāddhas, the choice of sacrificial offerings, conduct towards the invited Brahmans, the fitness or unfitness to be invited to it, the proper spots for the performance of sacrifices to the dead and the ceremony of liberating a bull often connected with the Śrāddha. "Connected by the sacrificial lump (at the Śrāddha determines relationship. offering to the dead)" (*sapinḍa*) is an usual designation of near relations, particularly agnates. Accordingly the Śrāddha which is performed at the latest one year after the death by kneading the Pinḍas of the dead person and the predecessors, effecting thereby the inclusion of the person who is dead among the Sapinḍas, is called Sapinḍīkaraṇa. At first the deceased gets monthly Śrāddhas, particularly however the Ekoddiṣṭa is performed shortly after his death when the period of mourning is past. Other kinds of the Śrāddha are the Nitya, i.e. the daily libations (see above), the Kāmya performed to attain some desired object, the Abhyudayika or Vr̥ddhiśrāddha performed on the occasion of some joyous ceremony such as marriage, the Pārvaṇa performed on the days of the month called Parvan, etc.